NASTY, the documentary about the life and career of Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase, has been included in the selection for the 77th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival, one of the most important cinematic events in the world. Directed by Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu, and Tudor D. Popescu, the film will be screened in the “Special Screenings” section of the Official Program. The Cannes Festival will take place from May 14 to 25 on the French Riviera.
“It’s extraordinary that NASTY has been selected this year for Cannes. In France, Ilie Năstase is as beloved as he is in Romania. The inclusion of the documentary in the festival’s selection is a recognition of our team’s hard work and proof that you can be selected at Cannes even with a film that isn’t necessarily in the realm of auteur cinema. It’s a step forward towards the international distribution of the film, and I hope it will be seen worldwide. I shared the news with Ilie, and he was very happy,” said Tudor Giurgiu.
One of the most esteemed film festivals in the world, Cannes brings together hundreds of international stars on the red carpet to showcase their latest films. This year’s guests include filmmaker George Lucas, who will be honored for his entire career, Canadian director Xavier Dolan, who will serve as the jury president for Un Certain Regard, director and screenwriter Greta Gerwig, president of the main competition jury, and actor Kevin Costner.
NASTY tells the story of Năstase’s career and the influence he had on tennis. Personalities such as Rafael Nadal, Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Stan Smith, and Phil Knight (founder of Nike) speak about the Romanian in the documentary.
NASTY had its national premiere on April 16 at Sala Palatului in Bucharest, where over 3,000 spectators and guests watched the film alongside Ilie Năstase. Special guests included Ion Țiriac, Boris Becker, Nadia Comăneci, and Gheorghe Hagi. The NASTY team is currently on a promotional tour with stops this week in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Sibiu, Brașov, Constanța, Galați, and Brăila. The full schedule and ticket details are available online at transilvaniafilm.ro.
The team’s journey to Cannes was made possible with the support of the National Cinema Center, UCIN, the Romanian Cultural Institute, DACIN SARA, Vodafone Romania, ROMGAZ, Transelectrica, and Jidvei; with TAROM as the official transport provider for the delegation.
NASTY is distributed in Romania by Transilvania Film. The film’s producers are Cosmin Hodor (HDR Evolution) and Tudor Giurgiu (Libra Films), with co-producer Hanka Kastelicová (Vice President & Executive Producers Documentaries HBO EMEA – HBO Max).
NASTY is produced by Libra Films and HDR Evolution in co-production with HBO and Televiziunea Română. Presented by the Ion Țiriac Foundation, Banca Transilvania, Dedeman, Superbet, with support from Mastercard. The film is made with the support of the Romanian Government, LIDL, Vodafone, Henkel Romania, CEC Bank, Regina Maria, HelpNet, and Initiative Media. Distributed by Transilvania Film.
Media partners: KISS FM, MediaTRUST.